An Unexpected Encounter
by Everybody's Neesan
Summary: Meet a blast from one of the crew's past, and the guy who's after her... The story's better than the summary, so please read
1. Memories

Author's Note:

OK, one apology to make. Sorry to all of you who hate the name Zolo, but that's how I first came across him and how I think of him, so it's how I write him.

And by the way, I think it's pretty obvious I don't own One Piece. Just thought I'd mention it…

Chapter 1 - Memories

Sanji stood on the deck, gazing into the starry night as his forgotten cigarette hung between his fingers. Though he was staring straight ahead, the cook's eyes were focused not upon the sea, but on distant memories. _It's been so long…_ he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted as he became aware of another presence on deck. Turning slightly, he saw Zolo, the ship's first mate, leaning on the rail beside him.

"Nice night, huh?" Zolo remarked, his earrings glinting in the moonlight as he tilted his head to look at Sanji.

Sanji suppressed a surge of irritation and replied curtly, "Well, it was until you showed up. Leave me alone, sword boy."

He glanced down at his cigarette and cursed as he realised it had gone out. With a grimace of disgust, he flung it overboard and sauntered back towards his quarters, hands in his pockets. Zolo stared after him, puzzled. While it was true that he and Sanji often squabbled, it usually took a little more provocation than one innocent remark. Putting it down to the peculiarities of chefs, he shrugged it aside and went back to contemplating the water.

"Now look, you idiots," Nami warned, her hands on her hips. It was the next morning, and the ship had just docked at a new island. "Every time we stop somewhere, you lot cause trouble and we end up having to leave before I've had a decent look around. I am in desperate need of some new clothes, and if you make us leave before I've found some I like, then I'll hand you all over to the Navy myself!"

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, the recipients of this tirade, pouted. They knew that the navigator was perfectly capable of carrying out this threat, and would be happy to, just to receive the bounty on Luffy's head.

Nami turned and strode away. Once she had disappeared into the women's quarters, Usopp thrust out his chest. "Like we should listen to her!" he scoffed. "I am the great Captain Usopp, and I can handle any kind of trouble!"

"I notice you waited to say that until _after _Nami had left," Zolo commented. "Some 'great captain'."

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled. "I'm the captain, remember? Stop telling everyone that you are!"

The imminent scuffle was broken up by Sanji's foot suddenly appearing between the two combatants. "Knock it off, you two," he snapped. "I'm sick to death of you lot _fighting_ all the time." He slouched his way off the ship, followed by the startled glances of the rest of the crew.

"Was that Sanji, the fighting chef, actually saying he was _sick of fighting_?" asked Usopp in awe. "He usually starts half of them!"

"Sanji's sick?" Luffy asked worriedly. "Chopper! Sanji needs some medicine!"

"Not that kind of sick!" Chopper groaned.

"Still, he has been acting strange lately," Nami said, coming back up to stand beside Zolo. "He didn't compliment me at all yesterday."

"Maybe he's just got a lot on his mind," Robin drawled from her favourite deckchair. "He'll be better once he's had a look around the food markets; you know that always cheers him up." _Though it is strange, _she added in the privacy of her own mind. _Now that I think about it, he didn't compliment me yesterday either._

"Well, we'd better get after him," Nami sighed. "Luffy, you stick with me today; the others shouldn't be able to get in trouble without you. Coming, Zolo?"

"I'll stay here and get in a workout," he replied over Luffy's indignant squawk. "Just pick up some more rum; we're running low."

"I need to get some more supplies in town too," said Chopper, rummaging through his backpack. "You can never be too careful!"

"Especially with this crew!" Nami laughed. "OK. Take Usopp to carry anything you need. We'll meet back here when it starts getting dark."

Sanji wandered along the crowded street, kicking idly at pebbles. _Damn it,_ he thought. _It's been ten years and it still feels like it was only yesterday…_ He gave an angry shake of his head. _Why can't I put her out of my mind?_

Further down the street, Luffy was bobbing up and down excitedly next to Nami. "Where are we going, Nami?" he asked. "Are we going to a restaurant?"

"We're looking for Sanji, remember?" she snapped, impatient with her forgetful captain. This was the third time she'd told him! "He's the one who knows what supplies we need."

_Besides, I'm kind of worried about him,_ she thought. _He's not himself at the moment._

Luffy huffed, bored. Then an idea struck him, and he brightened. "So, if we find Sanji quickly, can I go find something fun to do?"

Not waiting for an answer, he stopped in the middle of the street and stretched his neck until he could see over the rest of the crowd, ignoring the gasps and stares of passers-by. He caught a glimpse of a blond head and a trail of smoke, and pointed triumphantly. "I see him, Nami!" he shouted. Nami just put her face in her hand and groaned.

Ignoring the commotion behind him, Sanji strolled into the food markets, and gradually, the sight of the various fruits and vegetables and outlandish fish and animals turned his mind away from his memories. He was beginning to look around with interest when he heard a woman scream nearby.

Sanji's head jerked up, and he looked for the source of the disturbance. A space was clearing in the market as the crowd backed away from a woman struggling to escape from a man who was struggling just as hard to hold onto her.

"Just give it up, lady!" the man cried in exasperation. The woman said nothing but continued to try to escape. The man shouted in frustration and struck her, knocking her to the ground.

"Now, is that the right way to treat a lady?" Sanji asked, stepping into the clearing.

The man sauntered over to him, and grinned. "What's your problem?" he sneered, staring down at him.

"You," Sanji replied, and without even taking the cigarette from his mouth, kicked the man in the stomach so hard that he flew backwards and crashed into a fruit stall. The crowd let out a gasp, and backed away from Sanji, hurriedly moving on.

Sanji turned back to the woman to find her on her feet. "Are you all right, miss?" he asked kindly.

"I… I think so," she stammered. "Who are you?"

"Hey, Sanji!" came Luffy's voice. "What happened?"

Luffy came hurrying into view, followed by an irate Nami. "Sanji!" she shouted. "Have you already started causing trouble? We'd better not have to leave because of this!"

Sanji was about to retort when the woman he had saved gasped. "Did they just call you Sanji?" she asked.

Surprised, he turned back to her. "Yeah, I'm Sanji," he answered. "Why?"

"Oh, Sanji, it _is_ you!" she cried, and flew into his arms. "I thought it was, but I didn't dare hope!"

Sanji stared at the woman in his arms, as did Nami and Luffy. Then his eyes widened in shock. The long blonde hair, the blue eyes… could it be?

"Ichigo? Is that you?"


	2. Ichigo

_Author's Note: Ichigo is my creation, so if you want to use her, just mention my name at some point. Thank you._

_One Piece isn't mine. Pity…_

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Chapter 2

"Hey, you're back early," Zolo remarked, eyeing Luffy and Nami as they boarded the ship. "But for once, you're not running and shouting that we need to leave. Don't tell me Luffy couldn't find _any_ trouble in this town?"

"Actually, Sanji found trouble this time," Nami laughed, "but it's not the leave immediately kind."

Zolo's questions died in his mouth as a young woman followed them onto the ship, escorted by Sanji. Instead, he cursed. "Geez, Sanji, didn't take you long. What did you say to this one to make her come with you?"

"Shut it, shit head," Sanji said easily. "This is Ichigo."

Ichigo looked up at him. "You really have changed, haven't you Sanji?" she asked. "You never used to swear like that."

Zolo noticed with interest that Sanji was blushing. "Well, of course not," he muttered. "The old lady would have cleaned my mouth out with soap."

"She would have if she had found out that you started smoking too," Ichigo said with a smile.

"What old lady? Who _are_ you, Ichigo?" Luffy asked with childish impatience.

"What? Oh! I see what you mean," Sanji laughed. "Ichigo is my sister."

When Usopp and Chopper returned that evening laden with medical supplies, it was to a grand feast. Luffy and Zolo were already fighting because Luffy had stolen from his plate while Nami watched, helpless with laughter. Robin was smiling at the scene from her usual corner, but Usopp and Chopper's eyes were drawn to a strange woman sitting next to a grinning Sanji, covering her smile with her hand.

"Usopp! Chopper!" Luffy exclaimed, beaming at them. Zolo took advantage of the captain's distraction to knock him over and reclaim his plate.

"Are these two part of your crew as well?" the woman asked Sanji.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile. "The reindeer's our doctor, and the long-nosed guy's a professional liar."

"Gunner!" Usopp yelled, red in the face. "Who's this?"

"This is Ichigo, Sanji's sister," Nami explained, absently pulling her plate out of reach of Luffy's questing hand.

"What? You have a sister, Sanji?" Usopp asked, his mouth dropping open.

"Introduce yourself properly later, Usopp, or Luffy'll eat everything and you'll starve," said Zolo with a grin.

"You know," Ichigo remarked as she helped clear the table, "it's really weird to eat something Sanji cooked."

Everyone stopped and stared at her except Sanji, who bent his head over the dishes in the sink. "Why's that?" Nami asked slowly.

"Well, at home, he never cooked. I always did it," she explained.

"Sanji? Pass up an opportunity to cook? Never!" Usopp exclaimed with a laugh.

"Oh, he wasn't a very good cook then," Ichigo giggled.

"Neither were you!" Sanji shot back.

"No, I wasn't. Mostly I cooked because Sanji fell asleep as soon as he got home every night," she admitted.

"And you give me grief about being lazy!" Zolo said triumphantly, shooting a nasty look at Sanji, who scowled.

"Sanji wasn't lazy!" Ichigo said furiously.

"Enough, Ichigo," Sanji warned her, but she didn't listen.

"He was tired because he worked hard every day to get enough money to feed us!" she sobbed.

Sanji took off his apron and came and held the sobbing girl to his chest, making calming noises. He looked up to meet the wondering and shocked eyes of his crewmates.

"Our mother died soon after Ichigo was born. They say it was grief at the death of our father not long before. Our grandmother raised us, but she started losing her mind when I was about seven, and it wasn't long before she was completely senile."

Ichigo gave a particularly loud sob, and Sanji hugged her harder.

"So, I had to take responsibility for her and Ichigo. I worked for people in the village; cleaning, chopping wood, whatever they needed. With the money I earned, I bought food and took it home. Then, when I was eight, Gran died."

His expression hardened. "No one in the village would help us. They began to say that we had to be cursed to lose all our family like we had, and they stopped giving me work. So, I signed up as an apprentice cook and chore boy on a ship, and in return for my salary, one of the village women agreed to look after Ichigo."

He looked down at Ichigo, who had quietened, content to be held by her brother. "I thought about you every day while I was gone, and I always felt really bad that I couldn't come back for you."

"I forgive you, Sanji," she said with a brave smile.

Later on, when everyone had retreated to their hammock or bed, Sanji and Ichigo shared the first watch in the crow's nest, exchanging histories.

"So, that woman threw you out when she heard that my ship had sunk, huh? I can't believe I ever trusted her!" Sanji said angrily.

"She was actually one of the better women in the village, San," Ichigo said consolingly, putting a hand on his arm. "Everyone thought you were dead, so they decided that it was me who was cursed, and threw me out. But I never gave up the hope that you were alive. See, I was right! It just took me a long time to find out," she laughed ruefully.

"When word came that your ship had sunk, I joined a ship's crew by telling them that I was a boy, and sailed with them for about five years. After that, it was kind of hard to hide what I was, so I deserted them and have been living here ever since." She sighed. "In all that time, I didn't hear a single word about you. I asked everywhere I went, but no one could tell me what had happened to you."

"Ah, Ichi," he sighed, leaning back. "You were looking in all the wrong places. Your ship only sailed the North Blue and the Grand Line, didn't it? Well, I went to the East Blue with the old geezer I told you about, to set up his floating restaurant. I only recently came to the Grand Line, and only because a fool dropped through the roof and decided I'd be the perfect cook for his ship of madmen." He smiled at the memory.

"Oh well. All that matters is that you and I are together again," she said, snuggling down beside him.

Sanji gazed down at her, suddenly troubled. _But for how much longer?_

_

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_

_Please review! I want to know what people think!_


	3. A Trip Into Town

Duh I don't own One Piece.

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Chapter 3

"So, how are you going with your clothes shopping, Nami?" Sanji asked the next morning.

"Not too well at the moment," she sighed. Sanji brightened at this, but his hopes for a lengthy stay were dashed as Nami added, "I might ask Ichigo where to look. After all, she is a local. She'll know a good place."

"Oh, OK," Sanji said glumly, and with slumped shoulders retreated to the kitchen. Nami watched him go, concerned, but dismissed the thought and went in search of his sister.

"Good morning, Nami!" Ichigo called from her seat atop the figurehead. "Isn't it lovely today? Luffy showed me this wonderful spot last night and I just _had_ to see the sunrise from it!"

Nami grinned as she approached. Ichigo was humming happily as she swung her legs to and fro and seemed perfectly content, a feeling that was contagious. "Hey, Ichigo!" she said cheerfully as she came alongside her. "Fancy a bit of shopping in town? I need some new clothes, and I thought you might know a good place to look."

Ichigo spun and jumped down, landing beside the navigator. "I know a few good places, but can we make another stop as well? I really should go home and tell him where I've been. He'll be worried."

"Who?" Nami asked, astonished.

Ichigo blushed a little. "My boyfriend, of course!"

"He just sailed into town one day," Ichigo explained, leading Nami along the main street of the town. "I saw him wandering about the market and fell in love with him at first sight."

_Just like Sanji does,_ Nami thought, suppressing a grin.

"We've been together ever since," Ichigo finished. "Ah! Here's the place I was telling you about. The lady here does the most wonderful dresses…"

An hour later, the two women left the shop. "Wow, Nami, that's a pretty big order!" Ichigo exclaimed, running her eyes down the receipt.

"Well, we never seem to be able to stay anywhere for very long, what with the bounties on our heads and the trouble the others cause, so I don't often get the chance to stock up on new clothes," Nami said with a shrug. "But this looks like a nice quiet town, so I'm making the most of the opportunity. Besides, I simply adored some of her designs! Did you see the blue one in the window? And the red one…"

The rest of the sentence was cut off as a large hand came down on her shoulder. "You girls from the ship in the bay?" asked a male voice.

Nami spun to find a large, unshaven man towering over her. She stepped back, but it didn't improve the view. "Who wants to know?" she asked, surreptitiously checking the staff strapped to her leg.

"We're… associates of someone who would like to make your acquaintance," came another voice from behind Ichigo. She jumped, and turned to find another, smaller man watching her.

"Who are you talking about?" she asked in a shaky voice, backing away.

The smaller man smiled. "I think you know, Miss Ichigo. Get them, Goro!"

Nami's staff flew forward to strike the big man, but it didn't seem to bother him. "Run, Ichigo!" she shouted, adopting a defensive stance. "I'll catch up!"

Ichigo hesitated, not wanting to leave Nami in danger.

"Look, if it'll make you feel better, go and get help from the ship!" Nami called, looking over her shoulder. "I'll be fine until you get back!"

With her concentration split, Nami didn't see Goro's fist until it connected with the side of her head. She went down in a heap, a small 'oof!' escaping her before her head lolled in unconsciousness.

"Nami!" Ichigo screamed. It was the last thing she had time for as a foul-smelling cloth was clamped over her mouth and the world went dark.

"Nami and Ichigo sure are taking a long time," Luffy grumbled. Nami had forbidden him to leave the ship until she came back, and he had been running the crew ragged with his antics since.

Zolo opened an eye from where he had been napping and said lazily, "Why don't you go and find them then? It'd give us a break…" he muttered, settling back down to sleep.

"Nami said she'd push me overboard if I did," Luffy said sulkily, but was immediately distracted by a game Usopp and Chopper were playing on the deck. He wandered over to look, and Zolo breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's right, though," said another voice quietly. "They've been gone for hours now."

Zolo moaned, and opened his eyes again. "So, Robin?" he groaned. "They were shopping for clothes, and even Luffy should know that women can do that for days on end."

"But Ichigo promised to be back here by noon so she could take Sanji out for lunch," Robin reminded him. "And that was about three hours ago. Sanji's been waiting for her by the rail all this time."

Zolo lifted his head to see the blonde cook leaning on the rail and anxiously staring at the town beyond, a dead cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"His cigarette went out more than an hour ago, but he hasn't noticed," Robin commented.

Suddenly, Sanji straightened. "I'm going to look for them," he announced.

"Nami won't appreciate being interru…" Zolo began, but Sanji cut him off.

"Shut up, Marimo!" he snarled. "Ichigo never breaks a promise. Never!"

And with that he was gone, down the rope ladder and heading into town.

"Have you seen two girls today? A blonde and a redhead?" Sanji asked desperately. The old man he was questioning now was the tenth person he'd spoken to in the last half-hour, but no one seemed to have seen them, and on an island where the people's hair was almost uniformly black, they would stand out.

The old man muttered to himself for a while, then replied that he hadn't seen them. Sanji let him go on his way, and hung his head in despair. How would he ever find them?

"Psst!" someone hissed from a nearby alley. Sanji looked up, but the alley was in darkness, and he couldn't see anyone. "Over here!"

Looking around to try and understand the mystery person's secrecy, Sanji casually slipped into the darkened alley. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Ssh! Not so loud!" whispered someone frantically. "We can't be overheard!"

Sanji could make out a darker, human-shaped shadow, so he pounced on it, holding them by the scruff of the neck so they couldn't escape. "What do you know about the girls?" he whispered fiercely.

The small person he held squeaked and struggled for release. "Let me go!" they begged. From the stray sunlight reaching the bottom of the crowded alley, Sanji could see that his captive was a young boy. "I didn't have anything to do with it, I swear!"

"With what?" Sanji asked in a menacing tone.

The boy gulped fearfully. "They were kidnapped," he gabbled. "They were in my mistress' shop ordering clothes, and then when they left, these two guys attacked them. But I know where they took them!" he added hastily as Sanji's face began to darken in anger. "I recognised the little guy! He works for Yukio!"

"Who is this Yukio?" Sanji demanded.

The boy gaped at him. "Where are you from that you don't know Yukio?" he asked in wonder.

"I just arrived here. Answer the question!" Sanji insisted.

"He rules this island. Lately, he started to gather all the pretty girls on the island to go and live with him in his mansion. He's been after Miss Ichigo for a while, but she's always refused to go to him. They say he resorted to force yesterday, but the man sent to collect her was beaten up and she was taken away by a pirate. I figured it wasn't true 'cause I saw her today, but the bit about force is true because that's what happened!"

"Thanks for the help, kid," Sanji said, dropping him. "Which way is this Yukio's mansion?"

"Up the hill," the boy said, massaging his throat where his shirt had been digging into him. "Why?"

"Because I'm going after them," Sanji said with a grim smile.

"But there's lots of guards and everything!" the boy exclaimed with a gasp.

"Not a problem for a pirate," Sanji said, tossing a grin towards the boy before taking off up the hill, his long legs eating up the distance.

The boy stared after him in astonishment. "A pirate?" he whispered. "Maybe he _can_ get past them and save Miss Ichigo! Or at least, he can help the other guy do it…"


	4. Yukio

Author's Note: Sorry, everyone, but this chapter's really long. I planned to make it five chapters, but I couldn't find a decent spot to put a break in, so it's going to be four.

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Chapter 4 

Sanji ran through the halls of the mansion, his mouth set in a grim line. Much to his surprise, he had found no guards on the gate, and had met no resistance even as he moved deeper in. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone at all in the mansion, and that included Nami and Ichigo.

He hurried down a set of stairs and continued along a dim corridor, the only noise his running footsteps and harsh breathing. Turning a corner, he let out a gasp as a fist met his stomach coming the other way. He staggered back, and pivoted on one foot to bring the other down on his hidden opponent's head. Slightly dazed, his opponent stumbled before catching Sanji's incoming foot and twisting it to drop him to the floor.

Sanji got to his feet, his respect for his opponent increasing. "You're not bad," he called.

"You haven't seen anything yet," the man answered, and charged him. Sanji flipped himself into a handstand and brought a foot crashing down, then flipped right side up again and launched into a flurry of kicks that sent the man reeling backwards and knocked his hat from his head. Sanji spared it a glance as it floated down and came to rest in one of the brighter patches of light and turned back to his opponent. Suddenly, his brain caught up with his eyes and he looked at the hat again. Surely there couldn't be two idiots running around with an orange cowboy hat…

"Ace? Is that you?" he asked. "It's Sanji!"

"What, from my brother's crew?" came the reply, and the man straightened. He picked up his hat and put it back on his head, then flashed Sanji a grin identical to his captain's. "Good to see you!"

"Are you the reason there were no guards on the gate?" Sanji asked as the two of them continued on their way.

Ace grinned. "Well, there were some when I went through, but I left them… actually, I can't quite remember what I did with them."

Sanji shook his head at Ace's relaxed attitude. Then another question struck him. "When we fought, why didn't you use your powers?"

In reply, Ace made a face. "The guy who owns this place is super-rich, so he had the weapons of his guards coated in seastone. I was a little careless on the way in, and one of them got me. I guess some of the coating came off, and is still in the wound."

He turned, and Sanji cursed as he realised Ace was still bleeding from a large gash in his shoulder. "We should take you back to the ship and get Chopper to fix you up," he said in concern.

Ace shrugged. "It's not bothering me. Besides, I'm not leaving until I've got her back," he added, moving further down the corridor.

Sanji was about to follow when he heard a soft sobbing beyond a door they were passing. "Hey, Ace!" he called, beckoning to him. "Come here!"

"Sanji? Is that you?" he heard a female voice ask.

"Ichigo!" he cried. "Stand clear!" With a single kick, he broke the door in two, but before he could take a step, Ace was past him and had his arms around a tearful Ichigo, who was sobbing into his chest.

Sanji's mouth dropped. "Wha… what's going on here?" he exclaimed.

Ace turned slightly so he was facing Sanji. "Oh, sorry," he apologised. "This is my girlfriend, Ichigo. She's the girl I came here to find."

Sanji fainted dead away.

When he came to, Nami was leaning over him. "Thank goodness," she sighed. "I thought that shock was going to keep you out cold forever." She helped him to his feet, and he looked around wildly for Ichigo and Ace.

"They're already gone," Nami explained, noticing his face. "Ichigo and I forced Ace to go back to the ship for medical treatment while I stayed here with you. Thank you for coming to rescue me, though," and her voice became acerbic, "you didn't notice I was here when you saw what Ichigo was doing."

Sanji looked down at her in bewilderment. "What's going on?" he asked in confusion.

Nami ducked her head, but not before Sanji saw the smile she was trying to hide. "Ichigo and Ace are a pair, plain and simple. Now, we'd better follow them back to the ship, before any of those thugs turn up again."

With her head down, Sanji could see a large bruise beginning to discolour Nami's temple. His breath caught, and he reached out and gently touched it, ignoring her flinch. "Did they do this to you?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"I'm all right, Sanji," she said with a weak smile, then turned on the charm. "Let's just get back to the ship and…"

"No."

"Sanji?" Nami asked, looking up at him. Usually he did whatever she wanted, without question, especially when she used that tone of voice.

"No. I will not leave this place until I find the man who did this to you and make him pay," he said in a tight voice, and headed out of the door and back towards the stairs.

"But, Sanji…" Nami protested, then trailed off. She hurried after him, tugging ineffectually at his jacket. "There's no need…"

Suddenly Sanji stopped, and whirling around, caught Nami in his arms and pulled her to him. She stiffened, then to her surprise, realised that all he was doing was holding her. "Sanji…" she began.

"You're wrong, Nami. There _is_ a need," he said quietly. "No one should treat a lady like that, and for someone to do that to _you_… Even if there is never anything more between us, you are my nakama, and I will always protect you."

Just as abruptly, he released her, and strode to the stairs. Nami watched him go, amazed, then shook herself and followed him up.

They were in the main entrance hall before they found someone, and by the way Nami instinctively shrunk back, Sanji knew that one of these three had been the one who had hurt her.

"So, you come in here, knock out nearly all my guards, then plan to leave without even saying hello?" the centre one asked lazily. He was dressed in an expensive suit, and reeked of expensive perfume. "Oh, and I see you're trying to steal some of my property too."

Nami gasped, and Sanji let out a small hiss of shock. "How dare you call Nami your property?" he demanded, his fists clenched tight. "How _dare_ you!"

The man affected surprise. "But she is. Every girl on this island is my property, if I want her to be. That's why I sent these two to capture that Ichigo girl. This one was just a bonus."

Sanji lost his temper, and charged at him. "Goro!" the man snapped. His larger companion stepped in front of him and swung at Sanji, who simply ducked, then spun to land a kick in the middle of his back, sending him flying forward into a pillar.

"Cover your mouth, boss!" cried the other one, and threw something small and white so it hit the ground near Sanji. A thick white smoke billowed up, and Sanji began to cough and choke.

"Sanji!" Nami yelled.

"Stay back, out of the way!" Sanji coughed.

"Well done, Suko! Now he has no hope of defeating me!" the boss laughed, well protected by the handkerchief across his mouth and nose.

Ignoring his laughter, Sanji stumbled forward to where he had last seen Suko and aimed a kick through the smoke. With the smoke blocking his view, the henchman had no chance of seeing it coming and, like Goro, was sent flying.

"You're next, you shitty little worm!" Sanji spat, hoping to provoke the boss into speaking. The smoke provided a cover for the boss, but it would also cover any attack Sanji made if he could find where he was.

"Are you kidding? Nobody has ever defeated the great Yukio!" he answered, nearly screaming with laughter. "And you have less chance than most! Even now, Suko's poison is draining you of your strength, little by little. It won't be long before you are dead!"

"Same goes for you, you bastard!" Sanji snarled. Yukio's little speech had given away his position, so Sanji ran forward and launched himself in a flying kick. To his amazement, Yukio sidestepped, and Sanji went crashing into the pillar behind him, hitting his head so hard he saw stars.

"Is that it, blondie?" Yukio taunted. "I could kick better than that when I was four!" To back this up, he drew back a foot and kicked Sanji in the chest. Hard. Sanji bit back a moan as he felt bones break, and fought to stay conscious.

"Ready to die, loser?" Yukio whispered, raising his foot and preparing to bring it down on Sanji's head.

Despite the effort it cost him, Sanji turned his head and grinned at Yukio, blood running from the corner of his mouth. "Not today," he whispered. Sweeping his foot round, he knocked Yukio's feet out from under him, and before he had even hit the floor, Sanji was up on his hands and had delivered a massive double-footed kick to the underside of Yukio's jaw. Blood flew in all directions as it shattered, and Yukio landed some distance away, moaning.

"Still think you're better than me?" Sanji whispered, letting himself back down slowly. His chest felt like it was on fire, and his vision was beginning to blur. Through the clearing smoke, he could see Yukio's twitching form. Painfully, he dragged himself over to it, and stared down at his enemy.

"Never even _think_ about treating any woman like you treated Nami today ever again, and I _might_ let you live," Sanji said contemptuously. "Don't want to get your blood on my shoes," he added. "Otherwise I'd have killed you already. But if you haven't learned, well… I guess I can always get new shoes."

Yukio whimpered and nodded. "I pomithe," he babbled, hampered by his broken jaw. "Ne'er again, _ne'er_."

"Get out of my sight," Sanji said scornfully. Yukio rolled over and crawled away on his hands and knees, but Sanji was no longer thinking about him.

"Nami! Are you all right?" he called, coughing.

"Sanji! Are you OK? What happened? Where's Yukio?" she exclaimed, running through the last of the smoke. She had a handkerchief over her nose and mouth, but what could be seen of her face was set in a worried expression.

Sanji tried to explain, but the coughing fit that had seized him would not end, and he sank to his knees, trying both to stop coughing and hold his ribs together.

"Oh, Sanji! What's wrong?" she cried, dropping to her knees beside him.

"Smoke… poison," Sanji gasped, tears streaming down his face.

Tears shone in Nami's eyes as she watched him shake. "This never would have happened if it wasn't for me. Oh Sanji, I'm so sorry!"

She threw her arms around him and tried to soothe him. Sanji, his face buried in her chest, felt himself began to drift off, though whether this was the effect of the poison or merely the overwhelming joy he felt, he wasn't sure.

"Ready? Now!" Luffy shouted. They burst into the mansion, Luffy holding his arm threateningly, Zolo with all three swords out and bandana hooding his eyes, Usopp quaking with ammo in his sling, Chopper in his biggest form, Nico Robin calm as always, a bandaged Ace with fists ablaze and, ahead of them all, an extremely worried Ichigo.

"Sanji!" she shouted. Then stopped, as she saw what he was doing. "Oh!" she said, beginning to blush. "Sorry!"

Nami looked up as the rest of the crew spread out around a furiously blushing Ichigo to watch the scene before them. "Ah, this isn't what it looks like…" she began, hastily setting Sanji back on his heels.

"Oh, the crew's here," murmured Sanji vaguely, and passed out.

Sanji shifted restlessly, but stopped as a cool hand touched his brow. "Don't move, Sanji," said a female voice. "You've been hurt and ill."

"Ichigo?" he asked faintly, opening his eyes. His sister sat in a chair next to the bed, one hand on his forehead and the other holding his hand. As he let his eyes wander, Sanji realised he was lying in Nami's bed on board the ship.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up.

"Stay laying down," she said, pushing him back down, and Sanji was appalled at how easily she did so. "Nami told us about your fight with Yukio. We arrived a little too late for it, though I hurried to the ship as fast as I could to fetch help. After you collapsed, they brought you back here, where Chopper wrapped you up and dosed you with something for the poison. He said it's probably lucky you smoke so much; it's made your lungs resistant to poison," she said with a faint smile. Inside though, she was remembering Sanji's too pale face as they brought him aboard, Chopper's serious expression while treating him, and the fever that had kept Sanji abed for two weeks.

Watching Ichigo's still and serious face and sensing some of the emotions behind it, Sanji quickly changed the subject. "So, what's between you and Ace?" It had started out as a normal question, but big brother instincts too long suppressed came to the fore, and Sanji found himself desperately reviewing the time he had spent with Ace for any clue as to his behaviour towards women.

Ichigo blushed. "Well, it wasn't really a long relationship; more of a fling. Anyway, he told me right from the start that he couldn't stay long and he'd have to leave to go after that Blackbeard man again."

She sighed. "He's decided that it's time for him to move on again, but I'm not that upset about it. It was nice while it lasted. Besides, I saw this _gorgeous_ man in town the other day. Now that you're getting better, I can get back to him…"

She started chattering on about her new man, and Sanji relaxed. Same old Ichi. She still fell in and out of love like, like… _Well, like I do_, Sanji admitted to himself.

"Oh, and Sanji, you'll never believe how worried Nami's been about you. She's been by your side all the time," Ichigo added.

"Really?" Sanji said, pricking up his ears. "Oh, dearest Nami!" he cried, his visible eye becoming a heart. "Who would have thought that you cared so much?"

Despite Ichigo's protests, Sanji got out of bed and made his way unsteadily on deck. The first person he saw was Nami, heading his way with a concerned look on her face.

"Sanji!" she scolded. "You shouldn't be up!"

"But Nami!" whined Sanji, his eye becoming a heart again. "I had to see you! To hear your dulcet voice, smell your exotic scent…"

His list was cut short as Nami pressed a finger to his lips. "Not another word," she said sweetly, "or I'll take one of your precious kitchen knives and skin you with it!"

"This is just a friendly warning, because you're not fully better," she added, walking towards her orange grove. "Try it again, and I'll knock you out!"

From his snoozing spot further forward on the ship, Zolo heard the whole conversation, and smirked to himself. "Sounds like the pervert is back to normal," he muttered, and closed his eyes again.

* * *

That's it! The end of my first attempt at One Piece fanfic! I'm sorry to anyone who thought the characters were OOC, but I don't know much about Robin yet, and though I'm a little worried about some of the others, I think it all works out... 

Please review! I want tips/ideas for next time!


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